Wish Upon a Meteorite
by axelkairi
Summary: Sephiroth had tricked them. And Cloud had just helped him complete his goal. AU, set 12 years after Meteor destroys the Planet, sending it into a post-apocalytic war period. In this dramatic horror story, the goal isn't survival; it's maintaining sanity.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.**

A/N: I finally beat Final Fantasy X! While I was playing it, I got the urge to play Final Fantasy VII, but I was like, "No, I should finish this game first, or else I'll never get around to beating it." So now it's over, and I started replaying Final Fantasy VII today. I'm already at Junon! Anyway, I'm kind of in a Rufus crush phase – 'cause he's one sexy mann – and I've been trying all over the place to write a story with him in it, but nothing's ever really interested me enough to keep me going. But finally! Here it is! The masterpiece that actually has an in-depth storyline, one that'll keep you and I both interested long enough to finish! So far, I only have a basic storyline in mind, but I'll expand quickly. Well, time to get started. Hope you like!

**Wish Upon a Meteorite**

**Prologue**

_1997, Month of the Frost, ShinRa Inc. Worldwide Calendar, Day 36, 19:26._

Meteor hovered menacingly over the Planet, battling fervently against the Holy magic holding it back. In mere moments, the Planet and all its inhabitants would be destroyed.

All that Sephiroth had wished for was about to come true. His destiny had revealed itself, and he followed the path his Mother had walked, ages ago. Everything had fallen into place, like puzzle pieces, forming the perfect picture of destruction that had stained his mind so many years ago. And with one more strategically placed move, his dream would be realized.

One more move: the swing of Cloud's first sword, the Buster Sword, slicing through Sephiroth's chest.

He had no dying words, nothing else left to say. Only a serene smile as he felt his physical self fade away. Exactly as planned. And they didn't even know it.

* * *

Tifa didn't have any time to smile at the victory, only time to run. She trusted the others enough to escape with her before the whole Northern Cave collapsed on top of them. She wanted to make sure they were okay – she desperately wanted to turn her head and see the seven of them following behind her – but she couldn't take the chance, couldn't spare the time. All that mattered was getting out. She could take care of the others after this was all over; right now, she had to stay alive.

Rocks fell in front of her, behind her, on all sides. She felt claustrophobic. Breathing hard, she pushed through, running for all she was worth.

"Tifa!" Cloud's voice reached over the noise to her ears. She couldn't help but smile a little at the sound. He was alive. "We're going to make it! I promise!"

"_Alright. I promise."_

_Our promise._ He'd done it. The whole world was in a pretty big bind, and he saved it. Tifa nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see, and continued, her hope restored. He was right.

It was over. Sephiroth was dead. And they were all going to be okay.

* * *

Even in death, Aerith could feel the Planet crying out for help. She could hear the screaming echo in her hollow ears, the nonexistent tears land on her pale face, underwater as she was. It was calling out to her, asking for help, but she had no more to offer. She had done everything she could, and it was still not enough.

The screaming suddenly peaked, soaring through her mind, grating her to her core. The high-pitched sound was nothing else but desperation and complete and utter pain. If she could have, she would've vainly lifted her hands to her ears to block it, even though she knew it wouldn't help.

And above all the screaming rose a dark laughter, coursing through the Planet's veins. She could feel his smile, his vengeance, his pure insanity and rage and obsessive _love_ race through the Lifestream, and knew at once what only he did.

They'd been fooled. Sephiroth didn't want to absorb the Lifestream's power from above. He wanted to control the Lifestream from _inside_.

And Cloud had just helped him complete his plan.

* * *

Tifa launched herself out of the crater with all her might, tumbling headfirst onto even ground. The snow stuck her hair to her face and dampened her clothes against her body coated in sweat, but she couldn't care less. She stood immediately and whipped around, counting as each of her friends came out. Cloud, Red, Cid, Yuffie, Barrett, Cait Sith, Vincent. They were alive, all of them! She nearly shouted for joy, but instead turned her attention to Meteor, slowly breaking through the defense of Holy.

It was a surreal sight. A fiery rock nearly the size of the Planet itself attacking a swirling plate of beautiful white magic. Tifa had to squint so as not to hurt her eyes, as did the others; they'd all stopped to watch, safe now from any immediate danger.

_Aerith,_ she thought, hoping the Ancient could hear her, _please let it be enough. Everything that we've done, all that we've sacrificed… Please let it help. Please, help us save the Planet._

She felt unfair asking for more help from her old friend, who had already helped them so much already, but it was all she could do. Watching Meteor tear through Holy, she felt more helpless than she had in a long time. All she could do was watch. Watch and hope.

* * *

Red XIII was the first to notice something was wrong. Something smelled strange, and the way the rocks were shifting under his paws wasn't right. Something was happening within the Planet, but he wasn't sure what.

"Cloud!" he barked, instinctively calling for his leader. He got the blonde's attention immediately. "Something is wrong. The Planet… Do you feel it?"

Cloud's brow furrowed in concentration, and he knelt down to press a palm to the earth. For a moment, he was frozen, his fingers going numb underneath the snow. Then he felt it. A tremor; faint, but constant, like chattering teeth. His eyes met Red XIII's. "What's going on?" he asked quietly; Red only knew what he said from how his lips moved. The scenery was much too loud to hear anything other than screaming.

And suddenly, that's what they were hearing.

Without warning, glowing green structures like tentacles burst through the ground around AVALANCHE. They whipped around wildly, throwing chunks of earth this way and that. White strands of light pulsed within, contorting into jagged lines and shapes, looking like a thousand pairs of hands were twisting them every which way.

Tifa grabbed Cait Sith just before leaping out of the way of a tentacle slamming to the ground, inches from where she had just stood. Red XII leaped around them, growling and lashing his tail back and forth. "Cloud!" he called. "These aren't enemies! It's the Lifestream!"

That got everyone's attention, but Cloud was the first to speak. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Yuffie cried. "Why is it coming out of the Planet?"

"One would think it would help us," Vincent suggested.

"It's screaming," Tifa remarked. "It's in pain! What's happening to the Planet?"

"Watch out!" Cait Sith yowled, pointing a white and black paw at an incoming tentacle. The party scrambled out of reach just in time, but Cait Sith's robot was crushed beneath it. "Ah! My Mog!"

"No time!" Cid yelled, pulling the cat away as he tried to go for his broken piece of machinery.

"But –"

"Look!" Tifa shouted, staring at the tentacle. It hadn't made a move to lift itself from the ground; it just writhed there in the dirt, screeching, as a sticky black substance weaved itself through from the bottom up.

"Shi't!" Barrett cursed, stepping back.

"What's happening to it?" Yuffie asked, retreating behind Vincent. He held his arm out to hide her behind his cloak.

"It's Sephiroth," Cloud realized in a whisper. He cussed loudly. "It's Sephiroth!" he repeated so his friends could hear. "He's in the Lifestream now. It's gotta be him!"

Tifa's eyes widened in understanding. "No…" she breathed, but she knew the truth.

_He tricked us._

Above the screeching rose a dark laughter, and Tifa knew. They all knew.

Sephiroth had won. And they had helped.

* * *

A/N: Well, that's the prologue! I hope you all liked it, and I'll write more tomorrow! I'm sooo happy with this so far. Well, it's almost 1:30 in the morning, and I'm gonna read a little bit before bed, so nite nite for now! Please review! It lets me know you guys are out there! =)


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.**

A/N: Time for chapter one! I'm thinking I'm gonna try to make the chapters in this story longer, like around ten pages. What do you say? The longest chapters I've written have been in my other main story, What Matters Is Now, and those have mostly been about eight pages. I guess we'll just see how it goes, huh? Anyway, I'm gonna let this story walk me through, and we'll see where we end up! I have most of this mapped out in a big picture kind of way, and have the big end conflict all lined up, just the very very end is still a mystery. But it'll become clear eventually! Anyway, time to get started. Hope you like!

**Wish Upon a Meteorite**

**Chapter One**

_2009, Month of the Fair, ShinRa Inc. Worldwide Calendar, Day 14._

Do you remember when people wished upon shooting stars? When you felt sad, would look to the night sky, hoping to see that flash that you could pour your heart out to? When a streak of light across navy blue was a sign of hope, something to smile at and to cherish?

I do. But oh, how I wish I could forget.

* * *

Twelve years had passed since the Meteor disaster, and a world who had finally begun to find its feet was tripping and stumbling around the universe. It needed a foothold, but had none; nothing to hold on to, no path to follow.

No path but the one Sephiroth crafted.

It was an unspoken truth. Sephiroth controlled the Planet from the inside, bending the Lifestream to his will. The poor souls had weakened in their sleep, and Sephiroth easily broke through their low defenses, forcing his consciousness through to the Planet's core.

The land was barren. Trees stood like lifeless statues, silent memorials of a world long gone. The only green to be seen was covered in ash or decaying flesh. Animals were gone; this harsh planet only had room for fiends now. They killed the people, killed each other, sometimes for food, but sometimes just for thrills. Natural resources were drying up fast. Huge cracks littered the surface, Lifestream spilling out and tainting the air. Water was no longer safe; the occasional boat had to be reinforced with mako-resistant plating. Mideel, which was once the only town close to the Lifestream, had been sucked down under the surface as if transported to hell; other cities knew that the same fate would surely become of them as well, in time.

Mako was gone. ShinRa Inc. had disappeared as well, so it didn't really matter whether there was still use of mako since the only company that could harness it was gone. When the Planet's inhabitants began to understand what Sephiroth was doing, they knew that using mako energy would only fasten their demise.

Sephiroth had the kind of power that men could only dream of, and he was getting more. With each death, he stole their Spirit Energy, halting the cycle of life and death. Spirit Energy no longer circled the Planet; it was absorbed by Sephiroth. There had been no new life since Meteor, only death.

Sephiroth was playing a waiting game, sitting quietly until the whole Planet died in its own time. And when it did, he'd just move on and do it again.

Shooting stars had become an omen. After all, they were simply miniature versions of the calamity that struck the Planet from above.

Tifa Lockhart had adjusted to the changing world. It was hard, but after twelve years things were beginning to make sense again.

She had taken Marlene and Denzel out of Edge toward Kalm, keeping as far away from large populations as she could. Using Cloud's strength and her resourcefulness to their advantage, the two of them built an acceptable house midway between Edge and Kalm. Tifa knew large populations only led to massacres; fiends could smell a city from ten miles away.

Every morning, she would wake up early and patrol the area, killing any nearby fiends. At noon, she would travel to Edge to visit with ShinRa Underground and see how Edge was doing. She'd kick some butt with Rufus and his Turks until dusk, where she would return to her house and check on the kids before monitoring Kalm for a few hours. She'd make dinner, hang out with them, and go on another patrol before bed. Cloud would help sometimes, but lately he was just moping around, driving off on his bike and staying away for days on end. No one ever knew how he would act when he came back.

Cloud had come home last night, drunk to the point of passing out, stumbling over his feet. Tifa sent Marlene to bed – Marlene argued that she was sixteen, and therefore old enough to see Cloud drunk, but Tifa would have none of it – and Denzel was already smoking outside.

Cloud draped an arm around Tifa's shoulders without a word and trained his eyes on his bedroom. Tifa frowned, knowing that he wouldn't be uttering a word the whole night, and led him through the door, shutting it behind her. Cloud slumped on his bed and Tifa lit a match, holding it to a candle until the wick lit.

"There," she breathed, waving the match through the air until it went out. She tossed it into the garbage basket and moved to turn around, but never did.

Cloud's arm snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against him, her back against his chest. He turned his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent as his fingertips teased at the edges of her clothes.

Tifa held her breath. This had happened before, and she knew well how to deal with it. First, she had to trick herself. Her heart was pounding, full of excitement and love for the man behind her. There was nothing else that she wanted more than to feel his lips against hers, full of love…

But it wasn't meant for her. He was drunk, his mind wandering into the past, to a time when Aerith still lived. It was never Tifa that he wanted. She was just a warm, female body to project the Ancient's face onto.

She let him touch her, kiss her neck, knowing that he'd tire out quickly. He spun her around, captured her lips, running his hands up and down her back. She set her lips in a firm line, refusing to give in to his – and her – desires.

After a few minutes, just as she'd predicted, he got bored. He pulled back, staring deep into her eyes, and she met his squarely. She wanted him to see her, see her wine colored eyes, not the leaf green eyes of his once beloved.

He did. He frowned and pushed her away, gently, falling back onto the bed. He turned his face away from her, bidding her a silent "Go away."

Tifa wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came to mind. Nothing she could say could drive away the demons, no matter how hard she wished otherwise. Wished… She didn't believe in wishes anymore. Even hope was a foreign concept she'd thrown away years ago. All they brought on was despair and disappointment. She went through her day expecting the worst at every turn, so when it didn't happen, she was relieved. It was depressing, but it was the only way she knew to keep her sanity.

She shut Cloud's door behind her, holding in a sigh. Despite how much she loved him, she knew he would never be hers, not as long as he still had feelings for Aerith.

Aerith… Tifa tried not to resent her, but it was hard. She was supposed to have saved the world, and look at what she'd done. All of them had been like children, pounding their tiny fists against the chest of a fate that overpowered them. But Aerith was the worst. She batted her lashes to destruction, doing nothing but calling it forward. Those pretty little green eyes… The only green thing left on the Planet, and even those were gone.

Suddenly desperate for fresh air, she left the house, leaning against its wooden walls. Smoke tickled her throat and she turned to see Denzel, cigarette in hand. "You shouldn't smoke, Denzel," she chastised.

He took another drag before looking at her. "I'm eighteen now, Tifa. I'll smoke if I want to."

Tifa rolled her eyes. He thought that, since he was technically an adult, he could make up his own rules. She didn't stop him, most of the time, but sometimes he went too far and did something incredibly stupid, and she'd have to step in. Eventually, she'd make him stop smoking. But tonight, she just needed to talk.

"Cloud mistook me for Aerith again," she blurted.

Denzel exhaled slowly."I figured," he replied. "You should've seen him stumbling in."

"I don't know how much longer I can put up with this," she confessed. She could feel Denzel's eyes on her, but she continued. "One of these days, I might just slip and…" She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to.

Denzel waited a moment before answering. "You need to let him go."

Tifa looked at him like he'd just spoken gibberish. "What?"

"Let him go," he repeated. "Look at what he's doing to you. Face it: he's not letting Aerith go any time soon. You need to just mellow out and live your life."

"Live my life? Mellow out? What do you know? All you do is smoke and sleep." At a time, Tifa would have felt bad for saying those words to him. But now, she didn't have the time or the energy to be nice anymore. Marlene was sweet enough that it brought out that long-forgotten goodness in Tifa almost naturally, but everyone else was a prime target for her to blow up on.

Denzel threw up his hands, taking a step back. "Fine. Take it out on me. It's what I'm here for."

Tifa sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. "That's not what I meant. I'm just stressed out, and you're much younger than me, so I'm allowed to be mean to you."

Denzel laughed and flicked his cigarette to the ground. "Overlord Tifa, all children beware."

She grinned and punched him lightly in the arm. "I'm going for a patrol. Wanna come?"

Denzel's smiling face became serious. It was the first time Tifa had ever asked him to accompany her. He'd been practicing hard with his daggers, but had never truly fought a fiend. He was getting impatient; he wanted to protect his home, he wanted to be the dependable man of the house, since Cloud was more often than not indisposed.

Even though her demeanor was light, he understood the weight of what Tifa was asking him to do. So he stood up straight, nodded, and curled his fingers around the hilt of his daggers. "Let's go."

* * *

After only a few steps away from the house, Denzel could feel himself being watched. Tifa had planted Shield materia in the ground around the house, but was forced to move them closer as they lost their power. There was no such thing now as everlasting materia. With each spell cast, Sephiroth absorbed its power until there was nothing left.

"They're everywhere," Denzel said quietly.

"They always are." Tifa slipped on her gloves and cracked her knuckles. "Don't worry about subtlety; they already know we're here. Just run forward and fight. Got it?"

Denzel nodded, relaxing his body and calming his heart. He'd kill some fiends and call it a night. Easy as that. Right?

"Go!" Tifa lunged forward, fists clenched, and was almost immediately lost in the fray as four black dogs jumped on her, growling, teeth glinting in the moonlight.

As if on cue, more black dogs, at least ten, launched themselves out of the bushes, snarling, running for Denzel. Pausing only for a moment, he clenched his teeth and dropped into a stronger stance, readying himself for the onslaught.

With a flick of his wrist and a well placed duck, he stabbed one fiend in the neck as it tried to get at his shoulder. Its screech filled his ears as it fell to the ground. Another dog tripped over it and tumbled into Denzel's legs, knocking him off balance. His ankle bent beneath him and he fell hard on his hip, stunned for a moment.

The dogs reacted quickly. One was on him not even a second after he fell, clawing at his stomach. Denzel cried out in pain and tried to shove it off, only to see it fly away from him and slam into a tree. Tifa grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him up, turning to another fiend.

"Don't make me regret bringing you along!" she yelled, roundhouse kicking a dog in the face.

Denzel didn't respond, refusing to let anything more distract him. He trained his eyes on a fiend to his left and he ran for it, swiping a foot under its legs. It crashed to the ground, surprised, and Denzel took his chance. He crushed its spine under his shoe, and as it howled plunged his dagger through its skull.

"Good one!" Tifa called to him, swinging a dog to the side by its tail. It ran off.

Denzel sent her a quick smile and returned to his targets. _Finally, I'm getting the hang of it._

As the moments went on, fiends were vanquished left and right. Denzel laughed out loud as they began to retreat.

"We did it!" he yelled, turning to Tifa, expecting a relieved smile.

She was turned away from him, wide eyes trained on something above the trees. Denzel followed her eyes, and froze.

A giant bird fiend squawked above them, talons flexed, eyes glowing. It swooped down across the clearing from them to grab an injured fiend, tearing off its head in one swift motion.

"Denzel," Tifa said, her tone warning, "get back to the house."

"You're not fighting that thing alone!" Denzel countered.

"Shh!" Tifa turned to him, fear in her eyes, but it was too late.

The bird cocked its massive head in their direction, yellow eyes spotting Denzel, and dropped the fiend without a second thought. In less than the time it took to breathe, it was flying straight for the boy.

"_Run!_" Tifa cried, pushing at him hard.

Denzel stumbled, but wouldn't let her get herself killed. "No!" he argued. "I'm staying! I'm not letting this thing kill you!"

Tifa opened her mouth to object, but the bird squawked as it landed, talons digging into the earth. It stretched its neck and went for Tifa with its beak, but she ducked and punched it hard under its throat. It made a gurgle sound and swept its head from side to side, the tip of its beak, hitting Denzel in the ribs. He grunted and held a hand to the wound, but otherwise pushed the pain away.

Tifa went for the bird's chest, close enough to the ground for her to reach. With that distraction, Denzel aimed for the perfect shot. He threw one of his daggers straight for the beast's eye, hitting his mark squarely.

The bird screeched horrendously, stomping its feet, kicking Tifa and sending her flying.

"Tifa!" Denzel yelled, running for her, but the bird was too fast. Its head blocked his way and it squawked, practically making his ears bleed. It unfurled its wings, nearly blowing him back, and took to the skies. For a moment, Denzel thought they'd driven it away, but he was swiftly proved wrong.

Large talons curled around his arm and torso, cutting into his skin. A strangled cry ripped through his throat, and he heard Tifa calling after him. Her voice faded behind the sound of wind soaring through his near deaf ears.

He struggled, warring with his instinct to remain still fifty feet up in the air and his desperate need to get away from this fiend. Clutching his remaining dagger in his hand, he sliced deep into the bird's leg.

He heard it scream only a second before it let him go. The wind rushed by his face, stealing his voice as he yelled for his life, nothing to greet him below but the spines of dead trees.

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure what I think of this chapter. Personally, I think I could do better, but this works for a beginning. I have some ideas, and I think once I get more familiar writing in third person, it'll get better. Well, I hope you guys stick with me long enough for that! Please review!


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